Recesses or troughs often exist between adjacent surfaces of a vehicle, such as for example, an aircraft, a watercraft, or an automobile. Such openings facilitate access to, for example, fasteners used to secure parts of the vehicle, which may need to be replaced during normal maintenance of the vehicle.
As the vehicle moves, fluids such as air or water flow over the surfaces of the vehicle, including any recesses formed therein. The turbulence of such fluid flow can impact operational efficiencies of the vehicle as it moves through the fluid. For example, during flight, air flows over a wing of an aircraft, including any troughs therein. Laminar flow generally refers to the uninterrupted flow of air over the wing during flight. If the flow of air is interrupted, turbulent flow is created and may result in eddies or cross currents that disturb the direction of air flow over the wing. Turbulent flow affects the forces experienced by the aircraft during flight by decreasing lift (e.g., the force generated by the wings to keep the aircraft in the air) and increasing drag (e.g., air resistance). Aerodynamic inefficiencies such as drag result in other operational inefficiencies such as increased fuel usage by the aircraft. Similarly, a submarine moving through water can experience hydrodynamic inefficiencies in the form of drag.